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Seaman dies in Staubles Bay mishap

The T&T Coast Guard (TTCG) has launched an investigation into a freak accident that claimed the life of a sailor at Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, yesterday.

Initial reports claimed that Leading Seaman Deryck Nichols, a member of the Physical Training Instructor Department of the T&T Defence Force, was on board a vessel with another colleague around 9 am when it capsized and both went under. It is believed Nichols hit his head when the vessel overturned.

Nichols’ colleague, also a seaman, was pulled out of the water after five minutes, but it took other officers about 20 minutes before they could retrieve Nichols from the choppy waters. They said Nichols was not breathing when he was pulled out the water. However, another theory asserts Nichols fell from a vessel and hit his head. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital.